Rifle sight



Maren H0O Sept. 1, 19 6- c. GOUDEAU RIFLE SIGHT Filed May 23, 1934 Y INVENTOR L.C. Goudeau MA $2M ATTORNEY Otidiijil FiUU Patented Sept. 1, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE (Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as

amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) This invention relates to a rearsight for small arms and has among its various objects to provide a sight of the type mentioned that is adjustable to correct for windage and for range and is so con- 5 structed that the drift of the bullet is compensated simultaneously with the setting for range.

Another object is to provide a peep sight member that will not blur even under unfavorable light conditions.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the base and the zero-adjusting plate;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the sight as seen from the muzzle of the gun;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a detail of a member that secures the peep sight member to the transverse portion of 20 the slide;

Fig. 7 is an axial section through the peep sight member;

Fig. 8 is a detail view of one form of cam for elevating the slide and the rotatable head connected thereto to operate it.

Observation of firing on rifle ranges shows that the rifle sight at present in use is deficient in several respects. Chief among these is the lack of any method of reconciling the calibration of the rearsight with the actual range for which such a setting of the sight will be correct. For example, on any given rifle a sight setting of 600 yards on the sights in use may bring the point of impact on the point of aim at a range of 600 yards but such 5 cases will be rare. A setting of 600 yards on one rifle will be correct for firing at 300 yards, where as on another rifle it may be correct for firing at 700 yards. This makes it necessary for the individual to determine, by firing at each range, the correct sight setting on his particular rifle for those ranges. Theoretically each man, after once zeroing his rifle in this manner on the range, will memorize and remember these settings, but actually they are usually forgotten within a short time. That this is so is shown by the necessity for each man to determine the zero of his rifle each year prior to firing the qualification course, a procedure which is universal on all ranges. Outside of the expenditure of ammunition entailed, this clearly indicates that, if suddenly sent to active duty in the field, the efliciency of the fire of the individual would be seriously impaired until he has an opportunity to determine the zero of his rifle.

Another defect of the sights in use is the time necessary to set the proper range on them and the rather high probability of error in these settings, especially in poor light, caused by the crowding of the markings on the sight leaf, particularly at the lower ranges. Still other defects are the short sighting radius, the distance of the aperture from the eye, and the lack of means for shading the aperture which necessitates blacking the sight to avoid blurring. My invention embodies features that eliminate the foregoing objections.

The base 9 has a curved face Hi to fit upon the gun and is secured thereto by screws passing through openings I l. A plate I2, having an upturned toe l3 spaced from the main body of the plate, is held upon the base by screws I4. In the space between plate l2 and base 9 is disposed a slide l5 having a laterally turned portion l6 that extends over the gun barrel. A cam 39, disposed between toe l3 and the body of plate I2, is mounted on a shaft I1 to which is secured a calibrated operating head l8 with the lower end of slide l5 resting thereon. When the slide I5 is set for any given range, the plate l2 may be adjusted up or down after loosening the screws I4 to zero the sight; after this has been done the screws M are tightened and the sight is then permanently zeroed for the gun upon which it is mounted. Springs l9 are disposed with one end bearing against a shoulder 20 in base 9 and the other end bearing upon laterally extending arms 2| carried by slide IE to keep the slide always in contact with the cam I6 and yet permit facility of movement of the slide for range settings.

The peep sight member 22 is carried by a U-shaped element 23 whereof the bight lies against the under surface of the laterally turned portion I6 of the slide and which is held in position by a plate 24 slidable on the upper surface of IS and that is inserted through a slot in one side of member 23 and has a tongue 25 that is received in a slot in the opposite side of member 23; a pin passed through hole 26 in plate 24 into a registering hole in member 23 prevents displacement of plate 24. The bight of member 23 is bored and threaded to receive a windage screw 21 that is mounted in a down-turned portion 28 and upon the screw is a windage head 29 that is held in position by a click spring 30. Rotation of head 29 causes the peep sight member to move laterally upon the portion l6 to correct the aim for windage.

The peep sight member 22 comprises an aperture disk 3| and a cylindrical portion 32 concentric therewith, there being a flange 33 around the periphery of disk 3| to shade one face thereof. The aperture 34 has a small opening on the face of the disk and increases uniformly through the cylindrical portion 32 so that the forward circumference of the aperture is well outside the field of vision afiorded by the small opening through the disk and thus decreases the possibility of blurring due to bright light on the forward portion of the sight.

The elevating cam 39 shown in Fig. 3 has a plurality of fiat faces, each of which corresponds to a range calibration on the elevating head Hi, there being a stop 34 provided to arrest rotation of the cam at its limit of movement in both directions. Instead of using a cam with a plurality of faces, such as 39, I may use a cam 35 having a face that is in the form of an involute curve, in which case the hub 36 of elevating head IE will have in it a plurality of depressions 31 corresponding to various range settings, which depressions are engageable by a click spring 33.

It is believed that the operation of my invention will be obvious to those skilled in this art.

The invention herein described may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes, without the payment of any royalties thereon.

I claim:

1. A rear gunsight, comprising a base adapted to be secured to a gun, a side plate mounted on said base for vertical adjustment thereon, a vertically movable slide disposed between said base and said plate, said slide having a laterally turned portion to extend across the barrel of the gun, a peep sight member slidable along said laterally turned portion, said member having a substantially conical opening therethrough with the small end of said opening toward the stock of the gun and a peripheral annular flange of much greater diameter than said opening likewise extending toward said stock, screw means to slide said member along said portion, means to hold said screw means against casual operation, a rotatable cam mounted in said plate disposed to raise said slide when rotated in one direction, a calibrated head connected to said cam to rotate the cam and to indicate the range for which the sight is set at any given position of the cam, and continuously acting means to hold said slide in contact with said cam.

2. A rear gunsight, comprising a base adapted to be secured to a gun, a side plate mounted on said base for vertical adjustment thereon, a vertically movable slide disposed between said base and said plate, said slide having a laterally turned portion to extend across the barrel of the gun,

a peep sight member slidable along said laterally turned portion, said member having a substantially conical opening therethrough with the small end of said opening toward the stock of the gun and a peripheral annular flange of much greater diameter than said opening likewise extending toward said stock, screw means to slide said member along said portion, means to hold said screw means against casual operation, and means carried by said plate to set said slide in position corresponding to the range of a target.

3. A rear gunsight, comprising a base adapted to be secured to a gun, a side plate mounted on said base for vertical adjustment thereon a vertically movable slide disposed between said base and said plate, said slide having a laterally turned portion to extend across the barrel of the gun, a peep sight member slidable along said laterally turned portion, said member having a substantially conical opening therethrough with the small end of said opening toward the stock of the gun and a peripheral annular flange of much greater diameter than said opening likewise extending toward said stock, means to slide said member along said portion, a rotatable cam mounted in said plate disposed to raise said slide when rotated in one direction, a calibrated head connected to said cam to rotate said cam and to indicate the range for which the sight is set at any given position of the cam, and continuously acting means to hold said slide in contact with said cam.

4. A rear gunsight, comprising a sight element, a vertically slidable member on which said element is carried, guide means for said member, a plate mounted in said guide means and having at its lower end a laterally turned portion with the end thereof turned upwardly parallel to and spaced from the body of said plate, and a cam rotatably mounted in said plate between the body thereof and said upwardly turned end and in operative relation with said member to move said member vertically as said cam is turned, said plate being vertically adjustable relatively to said guide.

5. A rear gunsight, comprising a sight element, a vertically slidable member on which said element is carried, guide means for said member, a plate mounted in said guide means and shaped to form a channel at its lower end, a cam rotatably mounted on said plate in said channel in operative relation with said member to move said member vertically, and means securing said plate "to said guide means to permit vertical adjustment of said plate relatively to said guide means.

LIONEL C. GOUDEAU. 

